Systems and methods for scheduling and executing maintenance

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for coordinating efforts to maintain and repair drilling equipment are disclosed. A system for receiving and distributing scheduling information with respect to a drilling rig as a whole, and for individual components on the rig are disclosed. With equipment-specific scheduling, work orders for maintenance and repair can more quickly and efficiently be carried out. Sensors are used to measure actual statuses of the equipment and to infer available times when a work order may be carried out even when a schedule says otherwise

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application having Ser. No. 62/524,166 which was filed on Jun. 23, 2017. The content of this priority provisional application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Drilling rigs are large, complex endeavors that employ many types of equipment to operate. Everything from major components such as top drives, mud pumps, draw works power, and hydraulic, to smaller pumps and electrical systems are used together to perform the tasks necessary in a drilling rig environment. Much of this equipment is subject to statutory/regulatory/certificate requirements for regular maintenance; however, the task of scheduling and executing maintenance and repairs can be difficult due to the complex interaction of the components in addition to the impact on drilling tasks. Many current rigs use an outdated system of verbal, reactionary communication to perform maintenance and updates that frequently are postponed due to the difficulty of scheduling. There is a need in the art for an improved way to schedule and perform maintenance on a drilling rig.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods for coordinating schedules for executing work orders on an oilfield drilling rig. The methods include receiving a rig dynamic schedule that describes activities of the drilling rig as a whole, wherein the drilling rig comprises rig equipment, and receiving a plurality of work orders that describe maintenance work to be performed on the drilling equipment. The methods also include receiving an equipment-specific dynamic schedule for the rig equipment, wherein the equipment-specific schedule is coordinated with the rig schedule, and providing a composite dynamic schedule including the rig schedule and the equipment-specific schedule.

In still further embodiments, the methods include assigning an availability value for the rig equipment, assigning an invasiveness value to the work order, and assigning an interruption tolerance value to the rig schedule. The interruption tolerance value pertains to the harm associated with rendering the rig equipment unavailable due to the work order, and if a combination of the availability value and invasiveness value is sufficiently low and the interruption tolerance is sufficiently high according to predetermined values, authorizing the work order.

In other embodiments the present disclosure is directed to methods for receiving a rig planned schedule of events for a drilling rig, the rig having rig equipment configured to execute various tasks according to the rig schedule. A particular rig equipment or component is designated as idle or busy during certain times. The methods also include identifying a schedule of the various tasks for specific rig equipment according to the rig schedule, receiving a plurality of work orders describing work that is to be performed on the rig equipment, and monitoring the status of the rig equipment with a sensor deployed on the rig equipment. The sensor measures an observable parameter that dictates whether or not the rig equipment is in active use or is idle. If the status of the rig equipment is idle according to the monitoring status, authorizing a work order on rig equipment that is designated as busy according to the rig schedule.

In yet other embodiments the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus for use on a drilling rig including an operating portion configured to perform work related to a drilling operation, a sensor operably coupled to the operating portion, the sensor being configured to measure at least one observable parameter that is related to the operation of the operating portion. The apparatus also includes a communication component operably coupled to the sensor and configured to communicate the measured observable parameter of the operating portion to a remote computing device to indicate the status of the operating portion.

In still further embodiments the remote computing device of the apparatus includes a scheduler configured to receive a schedule of rig operations and to coordinate operations of the operating portion with the schedule of rig operations. The scheduler is configured to authorize execution of a work order pertaining to the operating portion based at least in part upon the measurements taken by the sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a calendar diagram showing a schedule of employment of various pieces of equipment on a drilling rig according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system for determining status of equipment on a drilling rig according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a swimlane diagram showing interaction between various components of a rig system according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is another swimlane diagram according to embodiments of the present disclosure including the interactions between a scheduler and the subject equipment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for a method of scheduling a WO according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Below is a detailed description according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The calendar and associated features shown and described in FIG. 1 will allow rig operators to coordinate scheduling for equipment on the rig in a more communicative, cooperative way. The rig operator(s) can input the schedule for the next upcoming time period (i.e. a week) into a central computerized system which stores the information and distributes the information to all necessary parties as needed and as permitted. Various maintenance operations such as repair, replacement, upkeep, upgrades, and any other type of maintenance work can be described in a work order (WO) which can include any necessary or convenient information relating to the WO, such as the subject equipment, the actions to be performed, the parts needed, the time it will take, the personnel required, etc. The WO can include any pertinent information that enables others to know what will be done.

In some embodiments there are a number of equipment components such as top drive 12, mud pumps 14, drawworks 16, power 18, and hydraulics 20. It is to be appreciated that this list is not exhaustive and that there can be any number and type of equipment listed in a given application, including duplicates of any one or more of the items. The equipment shown and described with respect to FIG. 1 are chosen for purposes of illustration and to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure and without limitation. The calendar 10 can also include a master schedule 22 showing the activities of the rig at a macro level. Such activities can be listed as Drilling 24, Reaming 26, Trip Out 28, etc. The horizontal axis can represent time in days or hours or another convenient measurement. The schedule for the equipment can be listed as busy, standby, idle, etc. for each equipment at any given time. For example, time 29 is marked as “Available” and time 27 is marked as “Standby” while the black line denotes “Busy.” Busy can mean that the equipment is actively being used and is therefore unavailable for another task. Standby can mean that the equipment needs to be ready for use, but may or may not be idle at a given time. Idle or available means the equipment is not in use and is generally available for maintenance. There may be other levels of availability for the equipment. For example, some equipment may have multiple components and the status of the equipment may be “busy” for some aspects of the equipment but “idle” for others.

The schedule 10 includes blocked-off times 30 identified as busy, standby, or any other unavailable (or partially unavailable) status. Idle time (available time) 32 for each piece of equipment shows times during which certain equipment is available for performing a WO. In some embodiments a WO can schedule a time for a piece of equipment; however, in most cases priority is given to critical operations and maintenance is given a secondary priority. Accordingly maintenance can be scheduled during available times, ensuring that maintenance is more timely performed and fewer components are allowed to skip their WO time frame due to lack of communication or other inefficiencies.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram 40 showing methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The methods 40 can be executed by a computing component such as a central server, a desktop computer at a rig site, a mobile device, or any other suitable computing component according to embodiments of the present disclosure. At 42 the method includes compiling a list of equipment at the rig site. Frequently top drives, mud pumps, drawworks, power, and hydraulics can be featured. Other equipment can be included in this list. At 44 a list of work orders (WO) is compiled. The list of WO can be aggregated from various sources including parties responsible for performing or scheduling the work on the equipment. The computing component can also be in communication with a remote source of information such as a regulatory or certification body which sets forth maintenance schedules for various equipment. The WOs can contain as much information as needed, including such things as work to be performed, time required, parts required, personnel to perform work, location of work, etc.

At 46 schedules for the WO can be received. The WO can include a time by which the work should (or in some cases must) be performed. In some embodiments the time for performing the WO is initially tentative and subject to availability. In some cases a WO can specify a high priority such as if the equipment may breakdown catastrophically without proper maintenance. In some embodiments an outside source of information such as the manufacturer of the equipment may issue a recall or a stop work order for their products because of new information coming to light in which case the WO can be given a high priority.

At 48 the method includes identifying time windows for the WO(s) to be executed. This can be achieved by looking at the schedules and finding an available time. The proposed time window can compute two numbers: first, a probability that the time window will actually occur based on past statistics which can be maintained in a database for analysis; and second a probability that the actual maintenance time will fit into the time window. In some embodiments the time availability of two or more components is coupled together to perform maintenance on both components at the same time if the WO dictates that there is an opportunity for efficiently avoiding duplicate efforts. For example, suppose there are two pumps that need a certain cleaning operation. If both pumps can be cleaned simultaneously the method can include looking for a time during which both pumps are available and, if possible, schedule the maintenance accordingly.

At 50 a check is performed to determine whether or not there is sufficient idle/semi-idle time to perform all WOs. This could be manual process (human decision) or an automated process based on probability rules. If yes, at 52 the WOs are scheduled and executed and the method terminates. If, however, there is insufficient time, at 54 a separate inquiry can be made to determine alternative available times for availability of equipment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system 60 for determining status of equipment on a drilling rig according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The availability of a particular piece of equipment may be determined from various sources including input from a rig operator who can schedule time for the equipment during which it is available or idle. In other embodiments the system shown in FIG. 3 can provide additional information to properly determine availability of the equipment. There are three pieces of equipment 62, 64, and 66. The equipment is configured to communicate with a central computation component 68 which can be a controller, a switch, a server, or any other suitable computing component with sufficient computational capabilities to perform the tasks described herein. The communication between the equipment and the computation component 68 can be wired, wireless, direct, indirect, etc. The various pieces of equipment can have one or more sensors 70, 72, and 74 which can be configured to monitor the status of the equipment from time to time. The sensors can be accelerometers, vibration sensors, pressure sensors, temperatures sensors, electrical sensors, motion sensors (optical etc.) or any other suitable sensor configured to determine when the equipment is in actual use. Many of the types of equipment in use at a rig site involve power consumption and as such they are generally noisy, hot, or give some other measurable signal of their use. The type and quantity of sensor can vary for a given piece of equipment but will be sufficiently equipped to provide a signal back to the computation component 68 whether or not the equipment is idle or in use. There may be more than one sensor per equipment and the sensor(s) can provide a type or degree of availability/use. For example, consider a drawworks with multiple reels that can be used together or individually. The drawworks may have a first sensor on the first reel and a second sensor on the second reel. The sensors can report the times during which each reel was in use. The number of sensors and the degree of detail desired can be virtually limitless.

The computation component 68 can use this information to achieve a more detailed picture of whether or not a given piece of equipment is accessible for a given WO or not. For example, suppose a hydraulic component is scheduled as “busy” during a given day. Perhaps the rig operator is accustomed to having the hydraulic component ready for use in case of an emergency or another eventuality. Perhaps regulation or policy requires the hydraulic component to be available but in a standby mode. The sensors can be used to measure the actual use of the hydraulic component during the subject time period and can use this information to authorize a WO to be executed on the hydraulic component even though it is ostensibly “busy” during that time.

The computing component 68 can store the information for use over time and compile a probabilistic model of availability for the equipment. Suppose there is a component that is scheduled “busy” for a certain type of rig activity. The computing component 68 can access past, similar operations and may find that the data shows that 80% of the time during this process this component is actually idle and therefore there is a good chance that a WO may be executed during this time period. In some embodiments the computing component 68 can issue a tentative authorization to perform a WO with an instruction that the equipment may actually be unavailable and that before performing the WO the status should be verified.

In some embodiments the WO can include a description of the level of invasiveness of the work to be performed as per the WO. Some maintenance requires dismantling of equipment or other significant operation that cannot easily be reversed if an urgent, unexpected need to access the equipment arises. Other maintenance work can be terminated mid-stream quickly and the subject equipment can be returned to duty relatively quickly. The WO can provide a numerical value describing the invasiveness of the WO, or a description of the time, equipment, location, personnel or other aspects that will be required to return the subject equipment to service. If the combination of the probability the subject equipment will be needed and the invasiveness of the action is favorable, the WO can be executed with higher confidence that it will not disrupt normal operations of the rig as a whole.

FIG. 4 shows a swimlane diagram 80 showing interaction between various components of a rig system according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure there can be a rig planner 82, a piece of equipment 84 (subject to the WO—can be any equipment or component), a WO executing party 86, and a computation component with or without a database 88. The WO executing party 86 can be personnel responsible for carrying out the WO and may include equipment used to execute the WO. In some embodiments the WO executing party includes a computing component configured to execute software or other instructions to carry out operations according to the present disclosure. Among other things, the WO executing party can analyze schedules to make improved use of time by identifying additional available time as will be described herein. It is to be understood that there may be more parties involved and that the diagram does not necessarily show all communications and actions between these parties but rather is to illustrate certain features of the present disclosure. It is also to be appreciated that the order of operations described in FIG. 4 are not necessarily the order in which the operations take place. In many embodiments the order can change and it will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art how the operations interact.

At 90 the WO executing party can initiate the WO. In other embodiments the WO can come from another party. The WO can be stored in a database and can include information necessary to allow proper scheduling of equipment and personnel to execute the WO. At 92 the rig activities are scheduled. The rig activities can include macro scheduling operations such as “drilling” “trip out” and other common rig-wide activities. The schedule can be delivered to the database for access by other relevant components and parties. At 94 the schedule is accessed by the WO executing party 86. The WO executing party 86 can read the schedule to determine if there is available time to execute the WO in a manner similar to what was described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. At 96 the WO executing party 86 requests time for executing the WO. This can include identifying an available time window and requesting control of the subject equipment 84 during that time, or additionally it can include requesting access to the equipment 84 even if according to the schedule the equipment 84 is occupied. At 98 the WO executing party 86 can attempt to adjust the schedule if there are no available times. The Rig Planner 82 can grant or deny the request. If the request is granted the WO can be executed and the process can be terminated with respect to that WO. If there are no available times for the equipment 84, at 100 the equipment 84 can be monitored by sensors such as accelerometers, vibration sensors, temperature sensors, etc. to determine whether or not the equipment is actually available. At 102 an available time is determined, and at 104 the WO is executed.

In some embodiments at 100 “monitoring equipment” can include accessing a database for information describing past usage information for similar tasks to infer availability when even when the schedule may report “busy.” Accordingly, the WO is more likely to be executed in a timely, rapid manner using the systems and methods of the present disclosure. Monitoring the equipment allows use and access based on actual measurements of equipment.

FIG. 5 is another swimlane diagram according to embodiments of the present disclosure including the interactions between a scheduler 110 and the subject equipment 112. The equipment 112 can be equipped to communicate directly with the scheduler 110 via a wired or wireless connection. In other embodiments there is a computing component intermediary facilitating the communication between equipment and scheduler. In other embodiments there is a sensor on the equipment 112 that carries out the communication. In yet further embodiments there is a sensor and a communication component operably coupled to the equipment to facilitate communications. At 114 the scheduler 110 inquires after the macro schedule to determine availability of the equipment 112 as per the macro rig plan, including a probability that this time window will actually occur. At 116 the equipment 112 responds with the desired information. In other embodiments this query is not directed toward the equipment 112 but rather toward another database or another source of information wherever the rig plan is stored. The scheduler 110 can also have access to WOs and as such will know what is needed in terms of time, materials, expertise, etc. for performing the WO. If the report back from the equipment 112 does not provide a readily-available time for the WO, at 118 the scheduler can query after the micro status of the equipment 112. The sensors can report on the actual usage of the equipment by monitoring some measurable parameter on the equipment which indicates idleness or activity. The parameter to be measured can depend on the equipment in question. At 120 the equipment 112 returns the desired information and the scheduler can proceed to make a more informed decision based on the measured information in combination with the rig plan and the probability that the WO will occur in the expected time. Accordingly, the WO is more likely to be executed on time and without significant interruption to rig operations.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for a method 120 of scheduling a WO according to embodiments of the present disclosure. At 122 a determination is made that there are no readily available time windows in which to perform a given WO. This determination can be made using methods and systems described elsewhere herein including creating a rig schedule, compiling WOs, scheduling equipment according to the rig schedule, and monitoring equipment for availability. Of course, if the above operations result in an acceptable time window the WO can be scheduled and carried out accordingly. At 124 the method includes accessing monitors/sensors that measure actual status of various equipment indicated in the WO. In other embodiments this can include accessing a database of past, similar activities. At 126 a value is assigned to the availability of the equipment. This numerical value can be referred to as an availability score. For example, an availability score of 0 means the equipment is in use and cannot be accessed, a score of 1 means the equipment is sitting idle and is not in use, and somewhere in between 0 and 1 means the equipment may be accessible. Closer to 1 means more available than closer to 0. There is accordingly a spectrum of availability score. At 128 an invasiveness score for the work to be performed as per the WO is obtained/acquired/assigned. The invasiveness score is 0, the work is very easily stopped and the equipment can be returned to service quickly, while a score of 1 means the work to be performed will take the equipment offline for a significant amount of time, or that there is a significant expense (in terms of time and/or expenditure) to return the equipment to service. Closer to 0 is less invasive and closer to 1 is more invasive. There is a spectrum of invasiveness for the WO. At 130 an interruption tolerance value is acquired/assigned that pertains to how significant the damage would be if the WO is executed and there is an unexpected need to access the equipment that is delayed or prevented because the WO is underway. There can be a spectrum for this value as well between 0 and 1 where closer to 0 means there is zero tolerance for delay and closer to 1 means the damage is insignificant or negligible. At 132 the availability score, the invasiveness score, and the interruption tolerance are mathematically combined. There are many ways to combine these numbers, but the result is that if the availability score is high enough, the invasiveness score is low enough, and the interruption tolerance is low enough, at 134 the WO is executed; else the WO is postponed and another time is sought. If it so happens that equipment is needed during a WO, the values can be adjusted for the next time a similar situation arises. One result of the systems and methods of the present disclosure is that the decision to proceed with a given WO at a given time is based on actual measurements of the use of the equipment in question, and decisions are made ahead of time with respect to the interruption tolerance so that WOs are more likely to be executed earlier and more efficiently than without the present disclosure.

The foregoing disclosure hereby enables a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the disclosed systems without undue experimentation. Certain examples are given to for purposes of explanation and are not given in a limiting manner. 

1. A method for coordinating schedules for executing work orders on an oilfield drilling rig, the method comprising: receiving a rig schedule that describes activities of the drilling rig as a whole, wherein the drilling rig comprises rig equipment; receiving a plurality of work orders that describe maintenance work to be performed on the drilling equipment; receiving an equipment-specific schedule for the rig equipment, wherein the equipment-specific schedule is coordinated with the rig schedule; providing a composite schedule including the rig schedule and the equipment-specific schedule.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the rig equipment for activity and updating the equipment-specific schedule according to the monitoring.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein monitoring the rig equipment comprises measuring at least one of temperature, movement, vibration, fuel consumption, position, chemical properties, and proximity to other components.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the rig equipment comprises a first component and a second component, wherein the work order comprises a description of work that can be performed simultaneously on both the first and second components, the method further comprising identifying a time during which both the first and second components are available for the work.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the rig equipment comprises at least one of a top drive, mud pumps, drawworks, a power component, and a hydraulic component.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether or not there is sufficient time to execute the work orders.
 7. The method of claim 2, further comprising: assigning an availability value for the rig equipment; assigning an invasiveness value to the work order; assigning an interruption tolerance value to the rig schedule, wherein the interruption tolerance value pertains to the harm associated with rendering the rig equipment unavailable due to the work order; and if a combination of the availability value and invasiveness value is sufficiently low and the interruption tolerance is sufficiently high according to predetermined values, authorizing the work order.
 8. A method, comprising: receiving a rig schedule of events for a drilling rig, the rig having rig equipment configured to execute various tasks according to the rig schedule, wherein rig equipment is designated as idle or busy during certain times; identifying a schedule of the various tasks for specific rig equipment according to the rig schedule; receiving a plurality of work orders describing work that is to be performed on the rig equipment; monitoring the status of the rig equipment with a sensor deployed on the rig equipment, the sensor being configured to measure an observable parameter that dictates whether or not the rig equipment is in active use or is idle; and if the status of the rig equipment is idle according to the monitoring status, authorizing a work order on rig equipment that is designated as busy according to the rig schedule.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: calculating an availability value for the rig equipment based at least in part upon the monitored status of the rig equipment; and using the availability value to authorize the work order.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: calculating an invasiveness value based at least in part upon the work order that denotes the resources required to return the rig equipment to working order; and using the invasiveness value to authorize the work order.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the plurality of work orders comprises receiving a work order from a source located remotely from the drilling rig.
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the observable parameter is related to the nature of the rig equipment and denotes active use of the rig equipment.
 13. The method of claim 8 wherein receiving a plurality of work orders comprises receiving a description of the resources required to execute on the work order.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the resources required include at least one of time, personnel, and parts required.
 15. An apparatus for use on a drilling rig, comprising: an operating portion configured to perform work related to a drilling operation; a sensor operably coupled to the operating portion, the sensor being configured to measure at least one observable parameter that is related to the operation of the operating portion; and a communication component operably coupled to the sensor and configured to communicate the measured observable parameter of the operating portion to a remote computing device to indicate the status of the operating portion.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the operating portion comprises at least one of a top drive, a drawworks, a mud pump, a power component, and a hydraulic unit.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the remote computing device comprises a scheduler configured to receive a schedule of rig operations and to coordinate operations of the operating portion with the schedule of rig operations, wherein the scheduler is configured to authorize execution of a work order pertaining to the operating portion based at least in part upon the measurements taken by the sensor.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the scheduler is configured to calculate an availability score based on the measurements.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the scheduler is configured to store information on past measurements of the observable parameter and past operation of the operating portion, wherein the scheduler is further configured to identify a similarity between a past operation and an upcoming operation of the operating portion and infer availability of the apparatus based at least in part upon the past operations.
 20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of sensors, each of which is configured to measure a different observable parameter related to a different aspect of operation of the operating portion. 